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Years ago, there was a witch. He was rumored to have wings as dark as ink and got his cursed powers from the moon. The villages were warned against going to him to heal any sort of ailments their family members had. But that was not the case, for the witch was kindhearted and reclusive. So, the witch went into town, covering his wings. The villagers had asked him why he was hiding his wings. To which he replied,
"My wings are hideous, and I would like to not scare you with them."
The villagers shrugged and went on with their day. He was shopping to replenish the herbs he was not able to grow, when he heard the shouting of several children. Turning away from the apothecary, he went towards the sound. There were several children surrounding a girl with dark wings. They were shouting, "Witch!" over and over again.
Feeling the need to intervene, he walked over to the slowly growing crowd. And he asked,
"Why are you tormenting one of your own?"
The ringleader, a girl with choppy hair replied 'Because she has wings like the witch.' The witch in question chuckled in amusement and told them off for tormenting someone of their blood. He turned to the girl in question, and motioned for her to follow him. She warily got up, and followed the witch back to the apothecary. The vendor noticed the little girl standing behind the mans back. They asked about the girl in question, to which he replied,
"Because she would be safer with me."
The vendor agreed, already missing the girl.
He finished up buying his herbs, and started walking towards the gate, the girl following him. She was silent throughout the walk to the witches forest, but slowly grew chattier with each step closer. The witches house was built on a cliff, the only way to reach it was either by flight or rope. The witch cast off his cloak, and heard the girl gasp. Spreading his wings, he flapped once and lifted into the sky.
The girl followed, her wings flapping twice as hard. She managed to reach the door, and walked inside. The inside of the house seemed small on the outside, but the inside was as large as her old home, with herbs of every type hanging from the ceiling. She gasped in wonder, and looked towards the witch. He was setting his herbs on a table engraved with runes.
She drifted off towards a bookshelf, and gasped with amazement. The witch looked back at her with a sad smile, and spread his wings. Overwhelmed, she tackled the witch in a bear hug, her wings reaching. He looked surprised at the prospect, but then settled his wings around the girl.
He heard a whispered, 'Thank you.' and he smiled for the first time in two years.
It was almost two years after the witch had unofficially adopted the girl, and took her under his wing. They were living peacefully, and the girl was learning a great deal of magic.
It was a cold winter's day when a frantic knocking at their door sounded off. The older witch, his once black wings streaked with grey went to answer the door. A woman holding a small child was standing there. The woman's face was decrepit and tear streaked.
She pleaded for them to save her baby, and the girl crossed over to the door and gently took the child. She was shocked at how cold the babe's skin was, but set the baby on a cushion much too large to set anywhere else.
The girl set to work mixing a potion to keep the little one stable, and all the while, the mother was frantically explaining to her mentor what had happened. But the girl payed no mind to what the woman was saying, for she was focusing on figuring out how to save the child.
In the end, she managed to save the little one, and soon after, people came from all over to get healed. Much to annoyance of their king, but he was old and close to death anyway.
It had been almost fifteen years since the witch had rescued the girl, and he knew he was getting closer to his end. He wheezed, and saw the door open. The girl was now 25, and she was excelling in magic. The girl was bedraggled and had constant bags under her eyes, but she was intelligent.
She crossed over to the dying man, and she sat down, her wings now also streaked with grey. The witch coughed, and raised his hand to brush his daughters cheek.
He whispered, "My brave little feannag."
The girls breath hitched, and she started whispering incantations. The old one stopped her with a shaky hand, and he took a breath, and started explaining.
"Rionnag, I never told you this story, but I was once like you. A small and weak child," That garnered a snort from his daughter, and the old man continued, "I, however, was left a lot worse. My wings were almost clipped, and multiple times I was left bleeding and unconscious. I ended up running away, and I was taken in by the witch before me. They had a son, who was much like you. Stubborn, determined, and a trouble maker.
One day, we were both out gathering herbs, a-and, someone from a nearby village found us. She assumed we were the witches children, and screamed. The village guards came. They clipped my brothers wings, and they almost clipped mine. We stumbled back to this very house, and the boys parent did all they could, but, he was scarred for life."
He coughed, the story sapping his strength. And then he continued on. By the time he was finished, it was dark out, and in the corner of his eye, he saw death beckoning. With a final breath, his vision turned dark. Faintly, he heard his daughter sobbing, but with a whoosh, everything brightened.
He saw his mentor and brother, and realized that his joints weren't creaking anymore, and his wings didn't ache. With a sob, he ran towards his family, and they embraced him. The great one, now satisfied, released the small family to be reincarnated into different things, or beings. Gaoth followed the light with a boylike wonder and joy he hadn't had since his mentor died.
There was a witch who was kind and generous. She gave and almost never took. She righted the image of her mentor, and his mentor. Rionnag was many things, but cruel and greedy wasn't one of them. And so, for years, the surrounding area prospered, and she trained many witches, wizards, and warlocks. And when the time came for Rionnag to follow her mentor into the void, she accepted it.
And for the first time in 70 years, she saw her mentor, and was once again that little girl who was beaten down by the world. But she was happy. And she was free.